The ARRT CQR requirements apply to radiologic technologists with time-limited credentials and must be completed every 10 years to keep certification and registration active. The process has three steps: fill out an online professional profile, take a Structured Self-Assessment (SSA) at a Pearson VUE testing center, and complete the prescribed continuing education the assessment generates for you. You have a three-year compliance window to finish all of it, and ARRT does not grant extensions.1The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. FAQ – Continuing Qualifications Requirements (CQR)
Who Has to Do CQR, and When
CQR applies to all Registered Radiologist Assistants (R.R.A.s) regardless of certification date, and to Registered Technologists (R.T.s) who earned their credential on or after January 1, 2011.2ARRT. Continuing Qualifications Requirements (CQR) If you earned your R.T. credential before 2011, CQR does not apply to you. Your biennial continuing education requirements still do.
The 10-year clock starts the day you earn the credential. Your compliance window opens during the final three years of that period, giving you three years to complete all three steps.1The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. FAQ – Continuing Qualifications Requirements (CQR) Certified in 2018? Your window opens in 2025 and closes in 2028. ARRT notifies you through your online account when the window opens, but checking the dashboard yourself is the safest habit.
CQR runs alongside your regular biennial CE obligations, not in place of them. You still report CE every two years on the normal schedule during your CQR window.1The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. FAQ – Continuing Qualifications Requirements (CQR)
Step 1: Complete the Professional Profile
The professional profile is an online survey that takes roughly 20 minutes.3ARRT. ARRT Continuing Qualifications Requirements – Professional Profile You work through screens listing clinical activities drawn from ARRT’s most recent practice analysis for your discipline, indicating how often you’ve performed each one over the past two years.
Answer based on what you actually do. ARRT uses your responses to shape the next step, so a profile that reflects your real practice produces an assessment that reflects your real knowledge needs. When the profile is finished, ARRT routes you to the SSA.3ARRT. ARRT Continuing Qualifications Requirements – Professional Profile
Step 2: Take the Structured Self-Assessment
The SSA is a knowledge evaluation administered at a Pearson VUE testing center. Before you can schedule, you need to have completed the professional profile, signed the CQR agreement, and reviewed the SSA Conduct and Environment Requirements.4Pearson VUE. American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) Question count and session length vary by discipline.5The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Structured Self-Assessment
The SSA is not pass-or-fail. It is a diagnostic that identifies content areas where you’re strong and areas where more study would help, then feeds those results into a personalized CE list.
Schedule early. Testing seats fill up, and if you miss an appointment without rescheduling in advance, ARRT charges a $100 cancellation fee on top of any Pearson VUE fee.6ARRT. Fees Bring valid government-issued identification on the day.
Step 3: Complete the Prescribed Continuing Education
After the SSA, your ARRT online account populates with a prescribed CE list, meaning a tailored set of requirements in specific content categories the assessment flagged for you. Find courses that match those categories, complete them, and report the credits through your ARRT account.
There is a built-in efficiency here. In most cases, prescribed CE that qualifies for ARRT approval also counts toward your regular biennial CE requirements, and ARRT applies eligible credits to your biennial total automatically.2ARRT. Continuing Qualifications Requirements (CQR)1The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. FAQ – Continuing Qualifications Requirements (CQR) Taking the SSA early in your window gives you time to pick courses that cover both obligations at once.
Report your prescribed CE at least two weeks before your three-year window closes. Your dashboard tracks entries against the required categories and confirms completion once ARRT verifies the credits.
What CQR Costs
The SSA itself is free.5The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Structured Self-Assessment Your ongoing cost is the $65 annual renewal fee for your ARRT credentials, which covers you regardless of how many disciplines you hold.6ARRT. Fees CE courses carry provider-specific costs, but those are costs you’d incur for biennial CE anyway.
The real money is in penalties. A missed SSA appointment without advance rescheduling is $100 from ARRT plus any Pearson VUE fee.6ARRT. Fees Missing the CQR deadline entirely and reinstating by re-examination costs $225 in application fees, plus the time to prepare for and sit the full certification exam.7ARRT. Application Fees
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
ARRT does not grant extensions. No exceptions for medical hardship, military deployment, or any other circumstance.1The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. FAQ – Continuing Qualifications Requirements (CQR) If you don’t finish the full process within your three-year window, ARRT discontinues your credentials, and you are no longer certified or registered in that discipline.
You have one year after your CQR window closes to complete the unfinished components and reinstate online. Your credentials remain discontinued during that year, so you cannot practice under them. Miss the one-year grace period and the only remaining route is reinstatement by re-examination, meaning you retake the full ARRT certification exam in your discipline, and potentially in supporting disciplines as well.8The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Reinstatement
Effects on Your State License and Job
ARRT certification is separate from your state license, but the two are often linked. More than 75% of states have licensing laws for radiologic technology, and many use ARRT credentials or exam scores in their licensing decisions.9The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). State Licensing In states that require active ARRT certification as a condition of licensure, a lapsed credential can put your state license at risk.
Most employers verify ARRT status during credentialing, and a discontinued credential shows up right away. If your state ties licensure to ARRT, you may be unable to work until reinstatement is sorted out. Contact your state licensing board directly to confirm how it handles ARRT lapses, because the consequences vary.